Social Media Vs. Communications You Can Count On

A paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year revealed shocking information: Facebook had deliberately manipulated the news feeds of just under 700,000 users in an experiment on “emotional contagion through social networks.”

In this joint study between scientists at Facebook, Cornell and the University of California at San Francisco, users were selectively fed either positive or negative posts via their Facebook feeds, while the rest of their content was hidden. While the implications are outrageous, even more troubling is the fact this study is only a drop in the bucket when it comes to the ways Facebook selectively decides what users see due to its relationships with advertisers. Given this information, can organizations really trust Facebook to get the word out? The answer is a resounding “No.” Let’s take a closer look at why Facebook is an increasingly poor mode of communication for non-profits and civic organizations, along with a more effective option for making sure your message is delivered and received.

Facebook is “Free,” But It Comes at a CostWith over a billion active users every month, how do you think Facebook affords to offer its service completely free to nearly as many people as the entire population of China? The answer is simple. Advertising. Without advertising, Facebook makes a paltry profit of just 20 cents per user per month. But the only way to make advertising really work? The excessive tracking and profiling of users — in most cases without their knowledge and against their preference.

If you’ve ever wondered why you seem to be missing out on certain posts from friends and organizations, there’s actually a very good reason for it. Facebook manipulates what you see based on a proprietary, dynamic algorithm necessitated by the interests of advertisers. In fact, the very nature of Facebook as an ad-financed platform is a threat to nonprofits and civic groups whose posts are unlikely be be seen by their constituents unless they pony up to “boost” their updates. This is particularly problematic for organizations which rely on Facebook for informing constituents about events, fundraisers, and other mission-critical initiatives.

An Appealing AlternativeWhile some propose that switching to a for-pay model would solve this problem, others argue that users would be unwilling to pay — even a sum as small as 20 cents a month. While organizations could wait around for this unlikely scenario to come to fruition, One Call Now offers an alternative that is not only immediately viable, but also 100 percent successful where Facebook fails.

As America’s largest notification provider, One Call Now broadcasts your messages to all of your constituents via a fast, reliable and simple system. Not only that, but it’s trackable so you have the peace of mind of knowing that every intended recipient did receive and access your message. One Call Now also allows users to choose the delivery message — voice, text or email — along with when the message will be delivered.

While Facebook may continue to be the best place to trade funny stories with your friends and share photos of last night’s dinner, it has proven itself to be anything but reliable when it comes to making sure non-sponsored posts are seen. Conversely, One Call Now guarantees what the social media giant cannot: that your all of your messages will indeed make it to their intended recipients. Visit One Call Now for more information on what our advanced messaging technology can do for you.